The summer going into her senior year of high school, Grace Boffeli had not received an offer to play college basketball.
Growing up, the Eldridge, Iowa, native played every sport under the sun in hopes of one day being a college athlete. Her father played baseball at the University of Northern Iowa, her older sister, Anna, played softball at St. Ambrose and her brother Drew played football at Grand View.
Yet as her senior year approached, the two-time conference player of the year and state champion high school player had not received an offer.
Then a high school rival, Kayba Laube, encouraged her to come play college basketball with her.
At a University of Northern Iowa basketball camp, Boffeli met Laube, along with Maya McDermott and Emerson Green, who also had committed to the school. The three knew Boffeli would be offered a scholarship to play at the school, and they spent the whole day trying to persuade her to accept the offer.
"They were like, 'You have to commit here. You have to be here,'" she recalled.
"Being competitors in high school, I knew she has the work ethic and skills to highly impact any program she chose," Laube said. "When the opportunity came for her to commit to UNI, I was beyond excited. The rivalry we had made me even more appreciative of her abilities."
The experience at that basketball camp has stuck with Boffeli.
"Now, look, they're my best friends. And literally, if I did not decide to come to UNI, I probably would have never been in this position to be roommates and just have lifelong friends."
For Boffeli, her friendships have been the single-most impactful part of her student-athlete experience. In addition to her relationships on the team, she also has built strong connections in the Cedar Falls, Iowa, community as a student teacher.
In high school, Boffeli took a childhood development class and fell in love with the coursework. She volunteered at elementary schools, and it was in those moments working with the kids that she knew she wanted to be a teacher.
"I just love making an impact on younger students' lives," she said. "That's really why I want to be a teacher."
Currently, Boffeli serves as a student teacher at an elementary school near campus.
The interpersonal skills she has honed on the court have made their way to the classroom, too.
"My No. 1 strength as a leader is communication, and I lead by example. As a teacher, leading by example and just having students follow my lead (allows me to) be a role model to those kids," she said.TeacherJessica Messerli said, "Grace has impacted my classroom and the entire sixth grade as a teacher by really building relationships with all of the students. She has gotten to know them, and they know that she really cares about them. She stepped in from day one as a leader by jumping right in and working with students without any hesitation.
"As a student-athlete, she has had so many opportunities to work with kids in the community, which gives her such confidence to do it in the classroom."
Boffeli has had a decorated basketball career, twice earning first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors and first-team conference scholar-athlete honors, among many other awards. With a long list of accolades, Boffeli exemplifies being a positive role model to her students.
Boffeli also leads through spending quality time with her students. When the bell rings for recess, you likely can find Boffeli on the pavement, playing basketball with her students. "I just love making them smile," she said.
"(The whole school) is so impressed that she is a college basketball player," Messerli said. "Having a college basketball player as their student teacher has really given my sixth graders a great model to look up to."
Boffeli has inspired many of the kids to want to be student-athletes one day. Many ask whether playing college sports is hard, inquiring what it takes to be a Division I basketball player.
"I'm honest. (I tell them,) 'Yeah, it's hard. But it's really worth it.'"
And for Boffeli, college basketball has been hard. A collarbone injury benched her for six games last season. This season, the preseason all-conference first-team player tore her ACL in the third game, sidelining her for the remainder of her senior season.
"This injury sucks a lot. Obviously, it's physically and mentally exhausting," she said.
"But I think I've gained a new perspective of being on the sideline," she added. "I'm not a lead-by-example person anymore because I can't be on the court. I'm more of a motivator every day in practice, games, film. I just try to have a positive attitude and mindset."
"I don't know who wouldn't want Grace on their team," Laube said. "She is an incredible teammate and an even better person. It's awesome to see how she elevates everyone around her."
A saving grace for Boffeli has been knowing she still has a voice.
"My role now is to coach my teammates. It's just cool that I get a voice, and I'm their cheerleader," she said.
Outside of the team, many value Boffeli for her perspective and insight. The Missouri Valley Conference selected her to represent it on the NCAA Women's Basketball Student-Athlete Engagement Group, a committee made up of one representative from each of the Division I member conferences.
"A bunch of different women around the country meet, and we just kind of talk about what's going on in the world with college sports, the NCAA, basketball," she said.
"I think it's really cool to hear different people's voices."
The committee has involved Boffeli in the basketball community, even when she has not been able to contribute directly on the court. The players have talked about when the Transfer Portal window should open and the details of the March Madness tournament.
"We definitely all have a voice," she said. "They for sure want our voices to be heard, and I really appreciate that."
Through her involvement with the engagement group and her role on the team, Boffeli has embraced the challenges of a season-ending injury. Another silver lining has been the support she has received.
"A lot of my students still come to my games to this day," she said. "When I got hurt, they were just so worried about me. And it was honestly the cutest thing ever."
Boffeli realized she spends a lot of her time pouring into the kids, but they pour back into her.
Another major support system for Boffeli has been her teammates — specifically, McDermott, Green and Laube. After convincing her to commit to the University of Northern Iowa, "the four" have watched countless movies and episodes of "The Bachelor" over their five years together. In fact, they even based their decision to play a fifth year on one another.
"It was kind of a package deal. (We said) if one person plays her fifth year, let's all play it for each other."
The friends have been together through thick and thin.
"I would not be here without them, especially through this injury. They have seriously been like the shoulder to cry on. They've helped me through every single obstacle that I've been through. They're truly my three best friends. We've gone through a bunch of highs together, a bunch of lows together," she said.
"Nothing will break our friendship."
Now, with a remaining year of eligibility, Boffeli has yet to decide whether she will return to play for one last year, especially without her three best friends by her side. As she thinks about the potential to continue playing, she has taken the time to reflect on the joy of her student-athlete experience.
"Five years went by so fast. I remember being a freshman like it was yesterday, but my five years through … all the adversity, it's been so worth it," she said. "All the friendships that I've made, all the memories that I've made the past five years, have changed my life and who I am today. I'm just so thankful."
Although Boffeli's journey on the court has been riddled with adversity, her relationships in Cedar Falls, the elementary classroom and in the college basketball community have left a legacy extending beyond her stat line.
"It's just an orange basketball in the end. Your memories and your friendships are going to last forever," she said.